The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (Scholastic; Gr 6–10) by Sonia Manzano won the 2013 Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, established by the Consortium for Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) “to encourage and commend authors, illustrators, and publishers who produce quality children’s and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States, and to provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use.”

In Manzano’s novel, 14-year-old Evelyn Serrano lives in Spanish Harlem in 1969. The family is of Puerto Rican descent, and the teenager struggles with her own sense of identity and what it means to be Puerto Rican in El Barrio.

Honorable Mention went to Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert (Clarion; Gr 2–4) written by Gary D. Schmidt and illustrated by David Diaz.  The picture-book biography tells the story of the life of the first black saint of the Americas who was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru.

There were also three Commended Titles: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (S & S; Gr 9 Up) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Drummer Boy of John John (Lee & Low; PreS-Gr 3) written by Mark Greenwood and illustrated by Frané Lessac, and In Darkness (Bloomsbury; Gr 9 Up) by Nick Lake.

Titles published in 2012 were considered for the 2013 award. Books are judged for their literary quality; cultural contextualization; exceptional integration of text, illustration, and design; and potential for classroom use. The award presentation will be held on October 5, 2013 at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Dot Day

Celebrate International Dot Day with its creator, Peter H. Reynolds, at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, on September 15, 2013 from 1–4 pm EST. The event was inspired by Reynolds’s book for young readers, The Dot (Candlewick, 2003), that “encourages children and adults to unleash their inner creativity through reading, art, and more.” International Dot Day has been celebrated in classrooms and libraries since 2009.

Events at the Carle include a book signing with Reynolds, a storytime, screening of the three films (Weston Woods) in Reynolds’s “Creatrilogy” series (The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color). All the activities are free with Museum admission.

“What began as one little dot on the pages of a book has grown into a movement that has countless people fearlessly expressing their creativity—not only on International Dot Day, but now all year long,” noted Reynolds.

Ava Nadel and Sonia Manzano
Photos by Ed Gourdine

An audience of 230 budding writers and their loved ones greeted Sonia Manzano with cheers and excited whispers on March 22, welcoming the celebrated Latina actress and 15 Emmy Award-winning screenwriter as the special guest speaker for the opening event of Girls Write Now’s CHAPTERS Reading series. Best-known as “Maria” from the long-running PBS show Sesame Street, Manzano has recently added acclaimed young adult author to her list of many accomplishments: her Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (Scholastic, 2012) garnered a Pura Belpré Honor.

After a clip of Sesame Street “Maria” milestones, the crowd was treated to a reading from Manzano’s historical fiction novel, which is set in1969 Spanish Harlem. The book’s backdrop includes the rising popularity of Young Lords Party—a Puerto Rican activist group. The author shared with the crowd that the title character’s struggles were modeled after the feelings and issues she herself experienced during this tumultuous time.

“The story of Evelyn trying to choose between her more traditional mother and her radical grandmother came from my own self-conscious feelings about being Latin at that time,” Manzano said. “I felt invisible, because I wasn’t being reflected in society.” She went on to give writing advice and words of encouragement and empowerment.

Mentor Pam Bayless and teen writer Suleyma Cuellar performing her poem, “Is There More to Life?”

The first of an ongoing reading series, this debut night of CHAPTERS included 18 teen participants, who read their best poems, personal essays, short stories, or excerpts from longer works to a group of teachers, friends, family members, and mentors. The selections ranged in tone, from the poignant subway ride reflection, “Not Just a Stranger” by Mariah Teresa Aviles, to the morbidly funny paranormal romance, “Luca” by Mennen Gordon. Many of the performances were a collaborated effort and featured not only the mentees, but included mentors as well.

Now in its 15th year, Girls Write Now is the first organization in the country with a writing and mentoring model exclusively for girls. It pairs talented, at-risk public high school students with women mentors in all areas of writing professions. It also boasts a 100 percent high school graduation and college attendance rate, and many of these young women have writing honors such as the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards already under the belts. Some of the mentees go on to become published writers, like CHAPTERS emcee and poet Jeanette Anderson, whose work has appeared in The Broome Review and Mslexia.

Sponsored by Open Road Media, and supported by Writers House LLC, Penguin, and Random House Children’s Books, the CHAPTERS series continues with stellar authors like Adele Griffin on April 19, Gayle Forman on May 17, and Marcia Ann Gillespie on June 14. All of the readings will be hosted held Scholastic headquarters and occur from 6pm to 8pm ET.